River Valley

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host a Driftless Birding Day Saturday, November 9. The Driftless Birding Day will include a guest speaker, exhibits, and self-guided field trips to area birding hotspots.

At 10:30 a.m. that day, Stephen Winter, Wildlife Biologist for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, will be giving a presentation on canvasback ducks.

The self-guided field trips will include the Brownsville, MN overlook, Stoddard, WI overlook, New Albin’s Army Road, Red Oak Road near Harpers Ferry, and the Ferryville, WI overlook. Self-guided field trips are available any time during the weekend. Maps and directions to each site will be available from 8a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday the week prior to the Driftless Birding Day at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Harpers Ferry Museum (a sketched replica of which is pictured in the image at right) has been scheduled for Saturday, October 19 at 10:30 a.m. at Martelle Heritage Park, located at the corner of Vine Street and North 2nd Street in Harpers Ferry. Everyone is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, which is being hosted and conducted by the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society.

by Brianne Grimstad

Friday, September 13, The Bubble Hut in Lansing held its Grand Opening and received its “First Dollar” visit from representatives of Main Street Lansing.

Owner Marissah Wachter has been serving up healthy, energizing alternatives to soda and energy drinks since the business’ soft opening in June of this year. Wachter was inspired to open her own business after trying the Herbalife products.

“I fell in love with the products,” she said. “I went from drinking a 12 pack of Mountain Dew to one or two teas a day. And, I had no crash and didn’t feel bad after I switched.”

by Joshua Sharpe

At its Monday, October 7 regular meeting, the Lansing City Council approved an amendment to the union contract, which is set to take effect November 1 of this year, and heard from Chief of Police Ross Kolsrud regarding a new hire and equipment upgrades. The meeting also tackled multiple citizen concerns, ranging from the need for a streetlight repair and a parking issue to safety risks posed by an overhanging tree.

COUNCIL BUSINESS AND RESOLUTIONS
The council adopted Resolution 1026, the second amendment to the city employee union contract. The Resolution increases the wage for a Street Department employee from $23.50/hour to $25/hour; for non-certified police officers, the wage increase is from $18.55/hour to $22.26/hour; and for certified officers, the wage will increase from $21.70/hour to $24.04/hour. These increases go into effect November 1, 2024, with a flat, three-percent increase starting July 1, 2025.

The InspireHer - Driftless Chapter (formerly known as Lansing Women in Business Group) will host its 4th Annual Fall Fashion Show this Friday, October 11 from 6-9 p.m. at Coffee on The River in Lansing. This event will host local boutiques and salons along with other regional businesses.

Ticket are being sold through October 10, and they can be purchased online via www.Eventbrite.com (search for Lansing Iowa events and the Fall Fashion Show will list). Each ticket holder will enjoy an evening of fun and fashion along with hors d’oeuvres, a glass of wine and door prizes. There will not be any day-of or at-the-door ticket sales. See the advertisement on Page 9 for additional information.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Harpers Ferry Museum (a sketched replica of which is pictured in the image at right) has been scheduled for Saturday, October 19 at 10:30 a.m. at Martelle Heritage Park, located at the corner of Vine Street and North 2nd Street in Harpers Ferry. Everyone is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, which is being hosted and conducted by the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society.

The annual Yellow River State Forest Fall Forestry Field Day is scheduled to be held Thursday, October 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. This event is being coordinated by Billy Beck, assistant professor and extension forestry specialist at Iowa State University.

“We’ve organized a wide variety of events for the public. They are intended for landowners, foresters and anyone with an interest in woodland stewardship.” said Beck.

The field day will be held at Yellow River State Forest, near Harpers Ferry in Allamakee County. Participants can engage with forestry professionals and practitioners across the state, as well as local forest stewards and woodland owners.

Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat Downtown Extravaganza the evening of Halloween, Thursday, October 31, from 4-7 p.m. Local youth are invited to trick-or-treat through the downtown businesses in Lansing. There will also be games, hot dogs and hot chocolate available for free at the downtown plaza.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting an open house at Lock and Dam 9 on the Mississippi River, near Lynxville, WI, September 28.

Corps officials are hosting the free event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., to allow people to get a behind-the-scenes view of the site while also getting a better understanding of what the staff do to ensure safe, reliable navigation.

In addition to the open house, Corps staff and partners will have a variety of activities onsite. Visitors will have an opportunity to see some of the boats that are used on the river as well as learn about the importance of wearing a life jacket while on the water.

Lock and Dam 9, located at 24545 State Highway 35, Eastman, WI, was built in 1937 and underwent a major rehabilitation from 1989-2006. The dam consists of a concrete structure 811 feet long with five roller gates and eight Tainter gates. The lock is 110 feet wide by 600 feet long.